Read Online A Faerie's Curse (Creepy Hollow #6) by Rachel Morgan - Free Book Online

me—becomes unbearable far too quickly.
    â€œWell done,” Lumethon says when I open my eyes and wriggle my shoulders as if to shake the fear away. “You’re definitely getting there. Now, how do you feel about doing a real life test?”
    â€œReal life?”
    â€œThe log you’re sitting on is hollow. Do you think you can crawl through it from one side to the other?”
    I stand up, walk to the end of the tree trunk, and peer down. Turns out it is hollow. Could I crawl through it? It’s a ridiculously simple task, one that just about anybody else could easily perform, and yet … “I’m not quite sure about that.”
    â€œWhy not try?” Lumethon suggests, pushing away from the wall. “We’re in a non-threatening situation. The log is wide enough that it won’t touch your back while you’re crawling through, and you can see the other side.”
    I nod. Being able to see the other side and knowing how quickly it will be over definitely helps. I lower myself onto my hands and knees and look through. Lumethon crouches down on the other side and beckons with her hand. I eye the rough interior of the tree and let out a nervous laugh. “It’ll be quite a tight fit. Even though it won’t touch my head or my back, I’ll know it’s right there.”
    â€œDon’t think of it. Look at me and think of wide open space. Tell yourself you’re crawling on the grass beside your lake and there’s nothing above you but miles of fresh air.”
    I picture it—the blue sky and endless space—and slowly, carefully start crawling. Rough bark scratches my palms and Lumethon smiles encouragingly up ahead. I think of space all around me. Space, space, space and … the inside of the tree all around me. Closing me in. I suck in a breath and crawl faster. Faster, faster until I finally emerge at the other end. I grab Lumethon’s hand and let her pull me to my feet. “Phew. Okay, that wasn’t too bad. But, like you said, this is a non-threatening situation, so I had time to get myself into a relaxed state of mind first. That’s not always the case.”
    â€œTrue, but we’ll keep practicing until the relaxed state of mind is automatic and you no longer see confined space as a cause for anxiety. You’re making good progress, Calla.”
    â€œI know, I just … I feel so ridiculous celebrating something this simple. It’s such a silly fear. I know it is, and yet, when the panic takes over, all rational thought flees from my mind.”
    â€œPhobias aren’t rational.” Lumethon moves to sit on the log. “And you have an entirely legitimate reason for developing this particular phobia.”
    â€œYeah,” I mutter, thinking of the hanging cage I was locked in as a child in the Unseelie Prince’s dungeon. The black water and the wailing prisoners and the stink of sweat and terror. I shiver. That scenario is definitely at the top of my anxiety hierarchy. I’m leaving that one for last.
    â€œI’ve got about twenty minutes left until I need to get to work,” Lumethon says, “so let’s move on to illusion training.”
    â€œMore training. Right.” I push my hands through my hair. “Yes, okay. Let’s do this.”
    Lumethon’s eyebrows rise. “Is something wrong? Have you had enough of our training sessions?”
    â€œNo, no. I’m very grateful for all the time you’ve spent helping me, and I know this is important. It’s just … Don’t you ever feel so overcome by impatience that you want to tear your hair out?” I tug at my hair again, as if she might need an illustration. “I mean, we train every day, and everyone goes to work like they normally would, and every night we go to bed, and all the while Chase is locked in a dungeon where someone could kill him at any moment . I know we’re doing everything we can,